Christmas of Light (1)
by BraviaryGirl7
Summary: A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Light Book 1: The Protectors Christmas Special! My first attempt at a holiday special, and first one-shot. Rated T for a romance scene, or 'fluff' as some people call it. Happy Holidays, everybody! :)


Me: Happy Holidays, everyone! This will be my first holiday special, and my first one-shot, so let's see how I do.

Satoshi: Well, hopefully it'll be better than that 'epilogue'.

Storm: Hey, don't start that again! *glares at him*

Me: Oh, come on you two. Lighten up; it's Christmas!

Serena: Yeah, no need to fight.

Both: ….. Fine…

Me: Alright, so no more fighting. Let's get started!

Secret Poké-Santa

(Satoshi's POV)

Yep, it's that time of year again; Christmas. Also my first Christmas with my team. As well as my first one in a long time with Serena. It was a very special time of year, but one I hadn't been able to enjoy for so long, but this year, I was determined to remember all the great things about this holiday. Hopefully, thanks to my friends and my girlfriend, I would be able to, but I had no idea it was going to be like that.

Waking up, I looked outside the window to find the whole outside was covered in snow, just like it had been for the past few days. It was now officially December 22, only a few days until what every kid thinks is the biggest day of the year. Now, normally, I would be just going about normal business and occasionally watching other families get ready for the holidays, but now that I had my friends, (and Serena) I was ready to celebrate the season of giving. However, I was a little worried about the fact that there were so many of us on the team, and that everyone wouldn't be able to find a gift for anyone. Luckily, Serena solved that problem with one of her clever ideas.

(December 22, 10:00 A.M.)

"Secret Santa?" Char asked.

"That's right." Serena said while nodding. "See, it works like this. We each write down our names and put them in a bowl. Then, we mix them around and we all take out one name and whoever's name you get, you have to get them a gift, and on Christmas, we all give our gifts to the Pokémon whose name got drawn. But, no telling who gets who until Christmas—that'd spoil the secret." Everyone seemed to agree with the idea, and even I had to admit it sounded like a pretty good idea.

So, everyone wrote down their names on little strips of paper, which were placed in a big bowl and mixed around quite a bit. Then, everyone took a piece of paper out of the bowl, not showing anyone else who their giftee was. I looked at mine, and wondered whether it was a coincidence or not that my secret giftee was none other than Serena. Smiling to myself, I headed out the door along with everyone else towards the town to start getting ready for the holidays with decorations and things like that.

(Tranquil Town Mall, 11:00 A.M.)

We had all agreed that we wouldn't spy on each other's preparations, so we all split up and covered something different. My job was getting colorful lights to decorate the base with. Yeah, everyone had a different job, and Serena gave everyone a list of what to get and exactly how much of each thing to get. Believe me; Serena was really determined to make sure this Christmas was perfect.

"Okay, so that's red lights, orange lights, yellow lights, green lights, blue lights, purple lights, and white lights." I said to myself. Serena had drawn me a little map so I wouldn't get lost in the mall, which had pretty much been built earlier in the year in what seemed like no time at all, so I was able to easily find my way to the store that sold all the Christmas lights. After paying for all the lights I was supposed to get, I still had a few hours before we were supposed to meet back at the base, so I decided to use the time to think about what I was going to give Serena.

I tried to see if I could get an idea by browsing in the other stores, but after a few hours of window shopping, I couldn't come up with anything, making me worry that I wouldn't be able to find the perfect gift for my sweet-heart. Sitting down on a bench to take a break from lugging around the shopping bag, I rummaged around in the bag, making sure that I got everything I was supposed to buy, but I soon found that I accidentally brought along the greatly worn Prism Ruff which I had kept for years. Looking it over, I suddenly had the best idea for Serena's gift. Smiling to myself, I got off the bench, and went back towards the stores—mainly the fabric store. Suddenly, I was glad I had three days to get this ready.

(Char's POV)

I was in charge of getting everything ready for dinner, like buying food and dining sets and things. I guess it wasn't surprising, seeing as I usually handled the cooking, although Luna had been helping me quite a bit lately. And, speaking of Luna, I had to get busy finding something special as her gift. Yep, I drew Luna's name from that thing. So, I was determined to give her something she'd really like. I really felt responsible for showing Luna a good time every time we went somewhere, but I had already showed her the nearby dungeons, so I wasn't entirely sure what to show her… until I had a great idea when my tail flame sparked a bit. I was going to show Luna something that would make sure she would never forget this Christmas.

(Venus' POV)

I was in charge of getting berries and fruits for dinner, and my vines were very 'handy' for lugging the wagon I was using to carry everything I bought. It was actually Satoshi's idea, and a good one at that, plus I would be able to better hide the gift I was supposed to get for my best buddy. Who's my best buddy, you ask? Hydro, of course. Yeah, it's true we fight a lot and disagree a lot and we're really different, but I guess that just proves that the harder two Pokémon fight, the more they care about each other. And every Christmas, we both made sure we each got the other a good present, just to show that we both care. So, it was surprisingly convenient that I drew Hydro's name. On the other paw, I had no idea what to get him, and I didn't want it to be something _too_ expensive, because I wanted to buy something expensive that I had had my eye on for quite some time, and it was REALLY pricey. However, I began to change my mind when I saw something in a display window when I happened to be passing by a store.

(Hydro's POV)

I was in charge of drinks and stuff and also for some stuff with ice sculptures or something, but I guess I am kind of good at that. Anyway, I was also looking for something to give my pal, Venus. When I think about it, it was awfully convenient that I drew his name. But, I guess that's life. Anyway, I was looking for something nice, but not too expensive, because I also wanted to buy something for me after the holidays were over, and it was really, really expensive. But, I actually ended up changing my mind when I saw something in a store. The price was high, and I probably wouldn't have enough for what I wanted to get, but I know the holidays are about giving.

(Serena's POV)

I was put in charge of choosing a Christmas tree. I chose one that would fit in the base and that was big enough to decorate, but small enough to reach, and the manager of the store, a Machamp, even offered to carry it back to the base, as part of the service, as he put it. Since the shopping went surprisingly quickly, I had plenty of time to think about what I was going to get for Satoshi, although it's a little weird that I drew his name. But, I was glad that I would get to give him something special. Browsing around the stores a bit, I passed a department store, I saw they were having a sale on… fancy picture frames. I suddenly had a brilliant idea—well, it probably wasn't a brilliant idea, but I thought it was one of the best ideas I've ever had, and I've been told that I've had some pretty good ideas. Taking out my share of the Poké, I walked into the department store.

(Luna's POV)

I was given one of the most fun jobs of all—buying decorations to put on the tree! I was really excited to see what the tree looked like when it was all decorated and lit up, because it was another thing I'd only ever heard of from my dad and never seen in real life, so I was amazed at how many different decorations there were! Of course, I couldn't decide which ones to get because they were all so pretty: the bells, the sparkly balls, the Pokémon shaped ornaments, the long bead strands, the tinsel, the ribbons, and, of course, the best of all—the big bright shiny star that goes on the top! So, naturally, I had to buy one of each thing in the store, and chose the prettiest star to put on top of the tree! Looking at the pretty tin star I had my coiled tail around, I so wished that I could be the one to put it on top! But, I was soon hit by a wave of disappointment as I realized that I wouldn't be able to reach the top of _any _tree because of my unusually small size… Sighing, I put the star in the bag I was given and slithered out of the store and tried to find something to take my mind off my disappointment until it was time to return to the base. That's when I decided to try and find a gift for Char. For whatever reason, I smile automatically whenever I think about Char, and I start feeling warm… I would ask someone, but I wouldn't know who would know. Ugh, there I go again, talking weird. Anyway, getting back on track, I had to find a gift for Char before Christmas. I tried searching for something in the stores, until I found something very interesting in a store that was right next to a craft shop. I slithered into the first store, my disappointment forgotten, and came out with a pretty expensive materiel (Don't tell anyone, but soon after I joined the KantoPals, which is now a Master Ranked team, my dad sent me quite a lot of money, which I might have brought with me on the shopping trip.), and then went into the craft shop. With a little luck, this was going to turn out pretty great.

(An hour later, 3rd person's POV)

The team of six met up at the entrance to the mall, agreed they all had everything they needed to get ready for Christmas, and headed back to the base, each concealing the gift they had gotten for their giftees.

Back at the base, everyone was busy with not a minute to spare for relaxation at the time; Satoshi decorating the outside of the base with lights and crystal icicles, Venus decorating the inside, and reaching the high spots with his vines, Char cooking a big yummy dinner, Hydro using his powers of water to make an ice sculpture of a snowflake (for a centerpiece), and Serena and Luna decorating the tree. The work lasted the next two days, but when they were done, it was well worth it, not to mention that Luna got her wish; Char lifted her up on his back and allowed her to put the star on the top of the tree, which really made her Christmas Eve. The six friends stared in marvel at the sight of beauty, and soon retired to bed, wanting to be well rested for the next day.

(December 25)

The group had celebrated the most joyful day of the year by playing board games and playing music, with the girls singing along to the songs. Luna was a little shy at first, but Serena eventually convinced her to give it a try, and with Char's encouragement, she did considerably better than she thought she would. They kept having fun with whatever they wanted until it was time for dinner, which was very delicious, as they said. Finally, it was time to exchange gifts.

"Alright, it's present time!" Serena announced. "Everyone, take out the names you drew." Everyone did so, and they were all fairly surprised by the other's drawn name. "Well, I guess that simplifies things, then. Let's get started then."

(With Venus and Hydro)

Venus and Hydro approached each other, each carrying a colorfully wrapped box with a bow tied on the top. They exchanged the boxes, Venus receiving a box wrapped with light green paper with deep green leaves and a mild green bow tied, Hydro receiving a box wrapped in light blue paper and patterned with deep blue raindrops with a blue bow tied on it, and eagerly opened them. They reached their hands (or in Venus' case, vines) in them and pulled out a bow tie from the boxes; one deep aqua and one forest green. The two Pokémon's eyes widened and smiles formed on their faces.

"The Leafy Tie, exactly what I've been saving up for the whole year to get." Venus said.

"Same for me and the Aqua Tie. But I spent most of it to get yours." Hydro said.

"Same with me. Merry Christmas, pal." Venus said.

"Merry Christmas." Hydro said.

(With Char and Luna)

Luna approached Char nervously with her tail tip tightly coiled around a small fancily wrapped box, which was wrapped with red paper and had a dainty little flame red bow tied on it. When she faced him, he smiled warmly at her, but she looked away slightly, trying to hide the blush that was creeping onto her face, receiving a look of confusion from him.

"Luna, is something wrong?" Char asked her gently. She snapped out of her embarrassed daydream and met his kind gaze with a smile.

"No, nothing's wrong, I'm just… a little worried you won't like it." She said while pushing the box towards him. The reason she was even more nervous around him than usual was she had finally asked someone about her mystery feelings.

(Flashback)

Serena was busy wrapping her present for her boyfriend, when her right ear twitched as she heard someone coming. Hiding the box under her bed, she turned around to find Luna slithering towards her.

"Oh, hi, Luna. Can I help you?" she asked.

"Actually, yes, there is. I wanted to ask you about something. But, if you're busy, I can just wait. I would ask someone else, but you're the only one I'd feel comfortable talking to about this." Luna said.

"Oh, sure, what did you want to ask me?" Serena asked kindly.

"Well, I want to know about a strange feeling I've been having." Luna began, her nervousness fading. "When I'm around Char, I feel… really warm and safe when he takes me exploring. And when someone else volunteers to take me sightseeing, I always object and say I want to go with Char. And, lately, I've been getting really nervous when I try to talk to him. Do you know what's going on with me?" Serena smiled.

"Well, it sounds to me like you've got a major crush on Char." Serena said slyly.

"What? T-that…." Luna started defending, but soon thought for a second. "…..actually sounds…. Really nice…" she finished meltingly. "So, what am I supposed to do now that I've figured it out? Am I supposed to tell him?"

"Of course." Serena said. "But not right away. Give your bond a little more time to grow and wait for just the right moment to appropriately tell him your feelings. It's usually a good idea not to rush."

"But… what about you and Satoshi?" Luna asked skeptically. "You became a couple almost right after you met again."

"Well, that's called the exception that proves the rule." Serena said. "We knew each other when we were kids, and seeing each other again after all those years made our bond grow stronger, so strong it surpassed friendship, or it might be that those feelings were always there, but needed a lot of sudden happiness to surface, or maybe it was just meant to be, or something we can never figure out. Regardless, Satoshi is my everything, and if you give your feelings enough time to develop, then maybe you and Char can become each other's everything."

"Really? You really think that could happen? Could he really like me?" Luna asked, excited.

"Sure, what's not to like? You're sweet, kind, caring, and you don't like fighting, not to mention you're a very pretty Dratini." Serena said sincerely.

"Thanks Serena. So, you really, honestly think that I've got a chance with Char?" Luna said.

"Sure, if you play your cards right, I'm sure he'll want to be your boyfriend." Serena said.

"That would be amazing…." Luna said, swooning slightly at the thought as she resumed her daydreaming and slithered away. Serena smiled at Luna's little romantic daydreams and went back to wrapping her present.

(End of Flashback)

Luna nervously nudged the small wrapped box towards her crush, who picked it up and began unwrapping it. He opened the box and reached his claw inside and pulled out a flame red armlet.

"A Heat Armlet?! How did you get the money to buy this?" Char asked, amazed.

"Well…. Actually…." Luna began nervously. "I… didn't buy it… I made it… I bought the same material the real thing is made out of, and fashioned it into an armlet. I tested it out last time we explored by hiding it in the bag, and it seems to work properly. Do you like it?" Char gave her a big smile.

"I love it! This is the best gift ever! You really have some kind of talent for crafts! Thanks, Luna!" Char said before hugging her. She was quite surprised, but also delighted that he liked the gift, and was immensely enjoying the hug. Quietly sighing contentedly, she snuggled into his warm chest.

After they separated, Char unsuccessfully tried to hide the sly smile that was creeping onto his face. He gestured with his claw for Luna to follow him, and led her outside the base. Luna was confused, but she trusted Char and knew that wherever he was leading her was a good place.

When he finally stopped, he was about a mile away from the base, in a forest clearing that was considerably large with hardly any trees. Luna looked around confused, wondering what Char was up to. After surveying the entire area, she couldn't find anything that looked out of the ordinary, interesting, or even the slightest bit odd.

"Char, why have you brought me here? What's so special about this place?" Luna asked. Char smirked.

"It's not the place that's supposed to be interesting." Char started. "The reason I led you here was because I was a little worried that what I'm about to show you would damage the base or set something on fire." This intrigued Luna.

"Really? What is it?" she asked, curious. Char smiled.

"Well, all you need to do to find out is sit back and enjoy the show. And I promise you won't get hurt. Just sit down on that rock and watch all the practicing I've been doing pay off." He said. Luna looked over to the cliff wall that was in front of them, and noticed something she had missed; many scorch marks on the rocks. Excited to see what Char was planning, Luna slithered over to the rock Char had gestured to and got herself as comfortable as possible, which was easy because the rock was nicely lined with soft moss.

Char smiled and began to focus his inner flame. Turning his head to the sky, he let loose a Flamethrower attack, which swirled and spiraled in the sky, forming many shapes and changing colors making colored explosions, flowers, stars, circles, triangles, squares, even Pokémon shapes; Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Eevee, Aerodactyl, Dratini, and right after the Dratini one was one shaped like a giant red flaming heart, which made Luna swoon, however, she knew it was only a gesture of friendship, but she enjoyed it immensely anyway, nearly fainting from the dreamy feeling.

"And that was my gift to you. They were called Fireworks. What do you think? Did you like it?" Char asked her after the display was finished. Luna looked at him with sparkling eyes and a huge smile.

"Are you kidding?! I LOVED it! It was the best gift EVER!" she shouted before slithering right into his arms and coiled tightly around him, fiercely snuggling into his chest. This greatly took him by surprise, but soon he hugged her equally tightly, showing her that he had equally appreciated his present.

Luna so wanted to take this opportunity and tell Char about her feelings for him, but recalled the advice Serena had given her and just kept enjoying the hug. After they separated, they headed back to the base, both with smiles on their faces and contented feelings in their hearts. As they walked along, they looked up at the night sky, which was full of stars. Luna always loved when Char took her to see this sight, but loved it even more at that moment; because they were bright, shiny stars displaying their beauty on the night of her first Christmas with Char. Almost back at the base, Luna decided it was the best time to wish her crush what she had seen many other Pokémon wishing each other.

"Merry Christmas, Char."

"Merry Christmas, Luna."

With that, they headed inside.

(With Satoshi and Serena)

After watching over the others' gift giving, Serena excitedly grabbed her present and ran over to her boyfriend and gave him a hug. Satoshi was a little startled, and nearly dropped the gift he was going to give to Serena, but hugged her back. After the hug was over, they got out their gifts and presented them to each other. Satoshi first handed Serena a box wrapped with pink wrapping paper patterned with hot pink hearts and a red bow tied on top. Serena reached for the one she had wrapped, but was interrupted.

"Um, I'd kind of prefer it if you opened yours first." He said simply. Serena smiled and nodded. She carefully untied the bow, and unwrapped the paper without tearing it at all. She pushed off the lid and reached her paw inside. She felt something soft, almost like something made of silk. Curious, she hastily pulled the object out and looked at it in amazement and shock.

"Is this… my Prism Ruff?" she asked skeptically. Satoshi smiled warmly.

"Yes, it is. I fixed it the best I could because it was pretty banged up before. I hope I did a good enough job. Do you like it?" Satoshi said. Serena looked the precious item over for a minute, and then a wide smile spread across her face.

"You really kept this? After all those years?" she asked. Satoshi remained quiet for a few seconds, reflecting on why he kept it.

"Well, yeah, I thought you were gone, so it was the only thing I had to remember you by… the only thing that made me feel like I was still close to you…." He said as a single tear rolled down his cheek at the thought of losing the one he loved. Giving him a sympathetic look, Serena walked over to him and placed her paw on his cheek comfortingly, and then kissed his forehead lightly to show him that all that pain was over and that she was still there with him.

"Thank you, I really thought I would never see this thing again, and I think you did a great job fixing it. This is a great gift, 'Shi." Serena said gently. Satoshi chuckled a bit at the mention of Serena's nickname for him. "Now, I believe it's my turn." Serena grabbed the box she had put down and placed it in front of Satoshi.

The box was wrapped in light yellow paper with lightning bolts pattered on it and a bright yellow ribbon tied on it. Satoshi unwrapped the box and opened the lid, reached his paw inside, and pulled out a fancy picture frame.

"Wow, this is really nicely made. But, is there some certain picture I'm supposed to put in it?" Satoshi asked. Serena smiled and reached a paw in his bag. She pulled out an old but still good photo of a male and female Raichu with their tails intertwined and their arms around each other, and right in between them was a young Pikachu snuggling into their fur, and on the young Pikachu's head was a tiny Pichu who looked no older than a few days. It was a picture of Satoshi's family, before the Darklings invaded Emerald Forest.

Still holding the photo, Serena placed it in the picture frame that Satoshi was still holding, and it fit perfectly. Satoshi lightly dusted the photo off with his paw and stared lovingly at the picture he had always treasured, which now had a beautiful frame that really did it justice. Wiping away another tear, Satoshi walked over to the fireplace in the corner of the base and carefully placed the framed photo on the mantle, right in the middle, so it could always be viewed properly. After admiring the precious picture for a few more seconds, Satoshi turned back to Serena with a sincere smile on his face.

"Thank you." He said simply and sincerely before hugging her passionately, which she returned fully. The hug lasted quite a while, mainly because the two were sharing another magical moment, which they had not had since they shared their first kiss. After quite a few more minutes, the two were snapped out of their moment by a loud 'ahem'. They turned their heads toward the sound, and saw the rest of the team standing about five feet away from them, and they seemed to have been watching the whole thing. The two blushed a bit.

"Uh, really hate to interrupt," Char began. "but _someone _was getting a little impatient, and by someone I mean Hydro." He turned his head to the smirking Squirtle before continuing. "Anyway, Hydro thought this would be funny, so, look above you." The two looked up, and directly above them, hanging from the ceiling, was a mistletoe.

The blush on the couple's faces grew quite a bit, and even more so on Satoshi's face when they faced each other again. They both thought that it didn't matter if someone was watching and that they might as well humor them, but Satoshi was still a little nervous about kissing. Luckily, Serena knew how to solve that problem. Besides, she wanted the kiss. So, she leaned her head forward and closed her eyes and leaned her ears back as she prepared to close the gap between their lips. However, Satoshi beat her to it, putting his paw on the back of her head and pulled into a passionate kiss, receiving a surprised squeak from her, but she quickly melted into it, using her paws to pull him closer. Satoshi used the paw that was still on Serena's back to pull her closer as well, and the paw that was on her head slid down to her back, pulling her even closer.

After the kiss finally ended, the two snuggled, and each member of the team agreed that that Christmas was the best yet, because they had been able to enjoy it together.

The End

Me: Okay, so that ends my first attempt at a Christmas special. Hope it was up to my usual standards. What'd you guys think?

Everyone: Great!

Me: Thank you! Now, everyone else who's reading, please Review and tell me how I did! Seriously, please tell me, because I worked, like a whole week on this, trying to make it perfect. Anyway, Merry Christmas! Even though it's a little late! BraviaryGirl7 out!


End file.
